Sweden elected Magdalena Andersson, five days after her first bid lasted only a few hours. (File)
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Sweden’s parliament on Monday elected Magdalena Andersson as the country’s prime minister, the first woman to hold the post, five days after her initial bid lasted just a few hours.
Although a country that has long supported gender equality, Sweden has never had a woman as prime minister.
Last week, Andersson was elected by parliament but she had to resign just hours later – before she had a chance to officially take office – after the Greens abandoned her coalition government.
The 54-year-old, now outgoing finance minister, will now head a minority government made up of only Social Democrats, with 10 months to go before a general election in September .
She will formally assume the post on Tuesday, succeeding outgoing Prime Minister Stefan Lofven after his seven years in office.
A total of 101 members of parliament voted for Andersson, while 75 abstained and 173 voted against.
Under the Swedish system, a candidate for prime minister does not need the support of a majority in parliament, they just need to avoid a majority voting against them.
Andersson now faces a challenging period in the run-up to the election.
Her weak minority means she will have to find support for her policies on both the left and the right.
She will also have to run with a budget set by the opposition Conservatives, Christian Democrats and far-right Swedish Democrats, after her budget failed to pass parliament last week.
The four center-right and right-wing opposition parties are united on most issues and control 174 seats in parliament, while the four left- and center-left parties, taking up 175 seats, are more divided.
Observers predict the election will be a close race, with crime and immigration a top concern for voters.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
